Mark Your Calendars, Chaps…

Hey, it’s 2017! And you know what that means… a whole load of new MCU drama is coming our way. So, you remember how I was in 2016? Barely shutting up about Civil War for more than 5 seconds? Constantly yelling about Luke Cage? You’ve not seen anything yet. 2017 has been tipped as the best year ever for Marvel, with 3 major Avengers films, a whole load of Netflix original shows, and even a final Wolverine instalment. As if I could start a year of this cinematic magnitude without filling you in on everything to expect from Marvel this year. It’s going to be huge.

February 8th: Legion

I won’t lie to you, I didn’t even know this was coming. I didn’t know a series based around one of the most complex and interesting X-Men mutants was due to hit America in less than a month, with Dan Stevens in the title role. David Haller, aka Legion, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age and has basically been passed from different mental institutions for the duration of his life. The premise sounds promising, and I feel like there’s only one major thing that can go wrong; the way his mental illness is handled. And we really don’t have too long to wait to find out. And while it’s only supposedly airing on American cable channel FX, us British always find a way…

March 3rd: Logan

I feel like we’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time. Our small dose of Wolverine in Apocalypse just wasn’t enough. So instead, we’re getting a whole movie to tie up his story. And he definitely deserves it; you’re mad if you
think that Wolverine isn’t one of Marvel’s most iconic characters. Something tells me this is going to be beyond emotional, not least because of an ailing Professor X and an adorable little girl/mutant. I just hope with every fibre of my being that Logan is the send-off that Wolverine deserves. Hugh Jackman has given so much life and depth to the character and it would be such a let-down if this film was a… let-down.

March 17th: Iron Fist

Yes, our final Defender will finally be hitting Netflix in mid-March. British star Finn Jones, who you might just recognise from Game of Thrones, is taking on the eponymous role as a hero who operates
on the streets of New York, using all kinds of kung-fu mastery to take down criminals. Like his Defenders predecessors, expect 13 new episodes to drop for your binge-watching pleasure. I mean, you’ve gotta get them in before well before new the Guardians is released, right? In case there’s some kind of weird, Marvel connection between baby Groot’s crew and a curly haired crime fighter?

April 28th: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Our first ‘Avengers’ instalment of 2017 is with our favourite extra-terrestrial misfits, who we haven’t seen since 2014. Boy, have they been missed. Our original cast are back for part two, with this film being set just two months after the original. And from what I’ve heard, volume two is set to bring us a whole lot more exposition, especially for Peter Quill. And special mention has to be given to baby Groot. He’s already stolen the show and all we’ve had is trailers (and it will never not make me laugh remembering that Vin Diesel is the talent behind our cutest talking tree). But, regardless of what actually happens in this film, you can bet your life that there’ll be a set up for Infinity War. This is the last time we’ll see our Guardians before Infinity War drops in 2018, which, to me, means there has to be a reason set up in volume two for them to join up with the Avengers against Thanos (not just because 90% of Marvel fans want a Rocket/Bucky scene). So, can we expect a Thanos cameo in volume two? All will be revealed in three months…

July 7th: Spiderman: Homecoming

This. This is the big one for me. I took to Tom Holland as our new Spidey almost instantly. For the first time, we were seeing Peter Parker as the kid he’s supposed to be. And that clearly hasn’t stopped with Civil War, if the trailers are anything to go by. And let me just say this; Tony is Peter’s mentor. His mentor. Of course he’s going to be in the damn film, so pipe down and let people enjoy things. Also, think about this for a second; if it were not for Robert Downey Jr’s ridiculously popular turn as Tony Stark way back in 2008, we would not have the MCU we have today. So pipe down. You owe everything to this man. Anyway, the premise for Homecoming is everything that every previous Spiderman film should have been; Peter trying to be a superhero whilst juggling the realities of being a teenager. In the past, I’ve felt like Spidey being a teenager has merely been a coincidence. It never really served much purpose to the story. I should also just state now that I loved Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s turns as Spidey, I really did. It was the direction that let them down, not their acting ability. Tom Holland got lucky being cast into a Russo film. Anyway, before I go into a full-blown rant over how dirty Andrew Garfield was done by Sony (he’s kissing Ryan Reynolds now, it’s fine, he’s fine), let’s just take a moment to hope and pray that Homecoming is everything it’s been built up to be. Our first MCU Spiderman movie; I have big, big expectations…

September: Inhumans

I can’t say I know too much about this one. But we’ve met some of our Inhumans in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., am I right? And we’re gunna meet all of them in September. We’re getting an eight-episode TV series (well, Americans are, it’s only showing on ABC) starting in September, with the first two episodes screening in IMAX theatres for two weeks, starting on September 4th. The series will focus on the Inhumans leader, Black Bolt, and the rest of the ‘Royal Family’. But that’s all we know. No cast list has been released. No set photos. No nothing. So, for now, we’re going into this one blind. But come on, it’s Marvel. It’s bound to be great.

September: Defenders

By the time this one airs, we’ll know every one of our Defenders very well. This much-anticipated Netflix miniseries will be set a few months after the second season of Daredevil (go and give it a watch immediately) and, in pure Avengers style, will be bringing our four favourite Netflix heroes together in New York. So, quick, go and binge watch Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage and eagerly await the new Iron Fist series. And while you’re at it, go and check Entertainment Weekly. They’ve got some pretty awesome photos for us…

27th October: Thor: Ragnarok

I can’t even remember the last we saw Thor properly. Oh wait, yes, I can, it was in Age of Ultron in 2015, a film that could have been off the scale in magnitude, but instead just… wasn’t. Obviously, we got that awesome little ‘update’ about what Thor and Bruce Banner had been up to during Civil War, but the bottom line is, Thor hasn’t been cinematically involved since 2015. And I can’t wait to catch up with him. So, what do we actually know about Ragnarok? Quite a lot, actually. Set after Age of Ultron, Thor is basically stuck in another world. Without Mjolnir. Oops. Not only this, but there’s a big battle brewing against none the other than the Hulk himself. Only he’s a gladiator. And he has to get through all this in time to return to Asgard and stop Cate Blanchett’s Hela and the impending Ragnarok (basically a huge battle that, in actual real-life Norse mythology, kills Odin, Loki and Thor, amongst others). With all this going on, I have high hopes. I wasn’t a fan of The Dark World. And I mean, I’m not a fan of Jane. And there’s no Jane in this film. Instead we’re getting Hemsworth. Hiddleston. Blanchett. Elba. Goldblum. Ruffalo. Hopkins. Maybe even a certain Cucumberpatch will make an appearance, who knows, but I for one cannot wait.

November: The Punisher
I’m sorry about this but, there is literally nothing known about this series other that it will feature Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. That’s it. He’s on the run after the murder of his family. That’s all I can tell you. These Netflix shows don’t like to give too much away, do they?

Also in 2017…

Filming: Black Panther – January

Finally. Finally, finally, finally Chadwick Boseman is suiting back up. Why does it feel like an age since we saw him in Civil War? So, Black Panther is due to be released on February 16th 2018, and it begins filming any day now, in the state of Georgia. Consider me excited. Not only are we getting the return of Boseman, but Marvel has assembled one of the greatest casts I’ve ever come across. Michael B. Jordan? Lupita Nyong’o? Forest Whitaker? Ensemble casts do not come much stronger. Trust me, I’ll be waiting on tenterhooks for set photos.

Filming: Infinity War – February 28th

They’re coming to Scotland, guys. Our (arguably) most-loved Marvel gang are heading to the UK. To film Infinity War. To start shooting a film of unparalleled magnitude. This is an Avengers film, yes. But they’re not alone. They’re joined by Spidey, Strange, Danvers, Barnes, Lang and King T’Challa himself. Not to mention Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Groot, Rocket and Drax. Oh, and let’s throw in Nick Fury, Maria Hill, WONG, and our big baddie Thanos. This is going to be huge. Obviously, I don’t know what is bringing them to Scotland, but I genuinely couldn’t care less. They’re 400 miles away from me and that’s all that counts. And in 464 days, you’ll be able to hear me crying in a cinema as I watch every fictional character I’ve ever loved fight against Thanos. And I swear, if we lose Steve Rogers… I’ll never recover.